Port of Antwerp extends Request for Proposals for Churchill site

Publication date:

12Sep2018

In November 2017 Antwerp Port Authority issued an international Request for Proposals aimed at potential investors in the Churchill Industrial Zone, the former Opel site in the Churchill dock. It has now been decided to extend the deadline for this RfP. The Port Authority seeks investors in manufacturing or processing industry who can join the port's ambition for a sustainable future and make a positive contribution towards it.

International Request for Proposals

The Churchill Industrial Zone project site covers an area of around 88 hectares with multimodal access beside the Churchill dock in the port of Antwerp. In its quest for new investors on this site the Port Authority issued an international request for proposals/request for projects in November 2017. Proposals were invited for projects in manufacturing or process industry that demonstrably contribute towards the transition to a circular economy. The RfP has already led to several interesting proposals which are now being discussed. However, in order to give these potential investors more time to refine their projects, the Port Authority board of directors decided this week to extend the period of the RfP by a further six months, with an option for yet another six months on top of that. The object of the project proposals remains the same.

Added value

The extension of the RfP reflects the Port Authority's ambition to attract investors who will help to realise the port's ambitions and take up its challenges.

"We are the main engine of the Belgian economy, and as such our most significant challenge is to create a sustainable future for the port," explains Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Antwerp Port Authority. "For us it is essential for new investors to share our ambitions for a sustainable future and to help achieve it. We have received various proposals for logistics activities, but we are holding fast to our initial plan for an activity with more added value. We want something that gives additional reinforcement, synergy and diversification to the port platform and that will help us to generate the most possible added value for our economy in the future."

To make sure that the Churchill site meets all the preconditions for such an investor, the Port Authority will commission an additional study of the actual development potential and conversion requirements for the Churchill Zone in the next few months, in the light of current contracts.

"Our port continues to exert a very powerful attraction for potential investors. There are various other large investment projects in the pipeline, for which we hope to have confirmation in the very near future," says Jacques Vandermeiren.